The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences
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J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. · Apr 2005
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialFeasibility and reliability of four pain self-assessment scales and correlation with an observational rating scale in hospitalized elderly demented patients.
Acute and chronic pain is common in hospitalized demented elderly people, yet there are limited data about the performance of pain assessment tools in this population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and reliability of four pain self-assessment scales in this population and compare their performance to an observational pain rating scale. ⋯ Self-assessment pain scales can be used reliably in the vast majority of older hospitalized patients with mild to moderate dementia and in nearly half of those with severe dementia. Observational pain rating scales correlate only moderately with self-assessment and should be reserved for those few patients who have demonstrated that they cannot complete a self-assessment.
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J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. · Apr 2005
Use of hormone replacement therapy by postmenopausal women after publication of the Women's Health Initiative Trial.
After publication of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) trial in July 2002, many physicians discontinued hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in most of their postmenopausal patients. However, little is known about the women who remain on HRT. ⋯ Despite the widespread impact of the WHI trial results, many women still remained on HRT in an internal medicine practice for a variety of reasons and despite relative contraindications to its use.